Teaching excellence: The economics of government policy

Anindya Sen’s long road to becoming a distinguished teacher at the University of Waterloo began in Kolkata, India.

Born in Saskatoon, Sen was visiting India when he saw an old man sitting in a plywood shelter topped with a single sheet of corrugated metal.

“The floor was nothing but mud,” recalled Sen, a professor in the Department of Economics. “I’d never seen this in Canada.” Curiosity overtook him. He wondered how the man survived. What did he eat? Why wasn’t the government doing more to help him?

Sen’s questions led him to complete three degrees in economics before joining the University in 1999. While he had always loved research, it wasn’t until he taught his first class that he knew he had found his calling: “Something seemed to click, to fall into place,” Sen said.

When he asked students whether governments should spend more on education or on health care the room fell silent. “I didn’t know the answer myself. So I said, ‘Let's use economics to find a solution’.”

Sen honoured with teaching award

This year, Sen is one of four Waterloo teachers honoured with a Distinguished Teacher Award.  Part of his effectiveness as a teacher is his willingness to tackle complex social issues. Most recently he published a study showing that Ontario government revenue from alcohol sales would actually increase if private retailers could sell alcohol.

He’s also researched the impact of cigarette taxes on smoking rates and the correlation between beer prices and the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases. Other issues like the effects of government regulation on the cost of gasoline have given Sen real-world topics to engage students.

Group discussions engage students

Sen doesn’t project slides in class. To promote attendance, he doesn’t post material online. After lecturing on economic theory and presenting a real-world policy problem, he leads a group discussion.

He gauges student learning through participation in class and the ability to answer and ask probing and challenging questions.

“Their eyes light up when they see everything in the puzzle fits,” he said. “That's the greatest joy a teacher can ever have.”